Military Aviation
The Lockheed Martin/Kaman unmanned K-MAX successfully completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA) for the U.S. Navy’s Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program. The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin in December 2010 for unmanned K-MAX helicopters to perform in a U.S. Marine Corps evaluation of unmanned cargo resupply. The Navy intends to field a Cargo UAS this fall for a six-month deployment to augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics operations in Afghanistan. The ...
According to Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) a first prototype of the T129 “P6″ attack helicopter successfully conducted its first flight. The ATAK Program was initiated with the aim to meet the Attack/Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter requirements of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLF) by the integration of high-tech avionic equipment, hardware and software which will be developed in Turkey. The first flight of the P6 prototype marks an important milestone in the ATAK Program ...
A few days ago Boeing delivered three F-15K Slam Eagles to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). Boeing delivered the first six of 21 F-15Ks it is producing under the Next Fighter II contract in 2010, followed by two in April and two more in May. The remaining eight aircraft will be delivered through April 2012. Six of the new F-15K Slam Eagles are scheduled to participate in an advanced aerial combat training exercise ...
Boeing has received a $1.64 billion contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide 14 new CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The new-build CH-47 Mark (Mk)-6 Chinooks are part of the MOD’s Strategic Helicopter Vision to modernize its helicopter force structure, and will expand the RAF fleet to 60 Chinooks. “From the Falkland Islands to Iraq and Afghanistan, the RAF has operated Chinooks magnificently for many years in the most demanding environments,” said UK Secretary ...
For the first time Sukhoi has demonstrated its new 5th generation jet fighter on a public airshow. The Russian Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 appeared on MAKS Airshow today to conduct a 10min flying display. The test plane still uses older engines based on the Su-35 without thrust vectoring. When finished, the final engine will feature full 3-D thrust vectoring along all three aircraft axes. Video – MAKS Airshow Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 The aircraft’s maiden ...
This beautiful golden girl called “FIFI” is our new Photo of the Week. This Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine heavy bomber that was flown primarily by the US in World War II and the Korean War. The Soviet Union produced a reverse-engineered copy as the Tupolev Tu-4. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II. It was the primary aircraft in the American campaign against Japan in ...
Boeing has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to integrate three major modifications on the B-1B Lancer bomber fleet. The upgrade includes a new Vertical Situation Display Unit for the forward cockpit. The unit is going to replace two monochrome pilot and co-pilot displays with four multi-functional color displays, giving the pilots more situational awareness data in a user-friendly format. The new B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link will give the aft cockpit ...
If you like historic military planes, you have to watch this great video of the Avro Vulcan XH558 flying display at Waddington International Airshow 2011. The sound of its 4 Rolls-Royce Avon engines are amazing! Whoa! The Avro Vulcan is a delta wing strategic bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1953 until 1984. It was developed by Avro in response to a specification released by the Air Ministry. At the ...
Lockheed Martin provided this video today, featuring pilots discussing different features of the F-35 Lightning II. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth generation multirole fighter with stealth capability. It’s still under development and comes in three main models; A conventional takeoff and landing variant (F-35A), a short take off and vertical-landing variant (STOVL) (F-35B), and a carrier-based variant (F-35C). There’s also the F-35I, a F-35A with Israeli modifications and the CF-35, a ...
Boeing today announced that India has signed an agreement to acquire 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. Indian Air Force (IAF) will take delivery of its C-17s in 2013 and 2014. “The C-17 will elevate India’s leadership in the region,” said Dinesh Keskar, president, Boeing India. “With its tactical and strategic capabilities, the C-17 fulfills India’s needs for military and humanitarian airlift. The important transaction reaffirms our close relationship of several decades with India and ...
Date: 05/18/2011 5:30 p.m Location: Point Mugu NAWC Naval Air Base, CA Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-321B Registration: N707AR Operator: Omega Air Flight: 70 Phase: Take-off Level of Damage: Destroyed Injuries & Fatalities: None During takeoff from Point Mugu Naval Air Base a Boeing 707-321B Tanker operated by Omega Air went off the side of the runway into a marsh area and burst into flames. Fortunately all three people onboard survived the crash. ...
Sikorsky Aircraft recently announced that the U.S. Government has agreed to sell 15 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to the Swedish Armed forces. The Swedish Armed Forces will use the aircraft for medical evacuation, utility, and search and rescue missions. Sikorsky will deliver six of the helicopters in 2011 and the remaining in 2012. The sale represents the introduction of the latest and most technologically advanced Black Hawk model into Europe. The UH-60M helicopter is ...
The first two Boeing KC-767 aerial refueling tankers for the Italian Air Force (ItAF) today formally entered into service. Italy has ordered four KC-767 Tanker Transport aircraft, designed for in-flight aerial refueling and strategic transport, to replace the ItAF Boeing 707T/T fleet. Since their delivery, the first two KC-767 tankers have been engaged in aerial refueling training missions with ItAF crews. The Italian Air Force KC-767A can be configured to carry all passengers, all ...
Boeing announced that the planemaker today delivered the first of six Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifters to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence. “It is with great pride that we accept delivery of our first C-17, which will help expand our ability to perform humanitarian and strategic-lift missions in the region and around the world,” said Maj. Gen. Staff Pilot Mohammed bin Suwaidan Saeed Al Qamzi, UAE Air Force and Air ...
This week’s Photo of the Week is this F-15C Eagle going up into the cloudy sky of Oregon. As the American jet fighter rumbles into the clouds its powerful afterburners add the only color spots to the dramatic dark scene. High speed combined with humid air creates absolutely stunning vapor trails. The Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered ...
These videos of a Tupolev Tu-154 that apparently is out of control emerged on the internet. The plane – RA-85563 – which is operated by Russian military was filmed on 29.04.2011 at Chkalovsky Airport (CKL/UUMU). The military airport is based near Shchyolkovo, 31 km northeast of Moscow (Russia). Circumstances that have led to this video are unknown. Whether it was a controlled test flight to operate the plane beyond its technical limits, a crazy ...
This magnificent photo holds the Flightstory Flickr Photo Award of this week. The beautiful black/white shot shows a Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler taking off from Naval Air Facility El Centro (KNJK). The plane belongs to Electronic Attack Squadron One Two Nine (VAQ-129), known as the Vikings. The Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler is an electronic warfare aircraft manufactured as a modification of the basic A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6B has been in service with the ...
Sikorsky announced that the Turkish Government has selected Sikorsky for a contract involving 109 derivative Black Hawk helicopters for multi-mission use. The aircraft will be assembled in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) as the prime contractor and will include components supplied by Sikorsky and other American and Turkish companies. The industrialization proposal will allow Turkish industry access to the Sikorsky global supply chain including sale of Turkish assembled aircraft to future Sikorsky international customers. ...
China’s fifth generation stealth fighter, Chengdu J-20, has successfully conducted its second test flight on Tuesday at the Chengdu airfield. “The aircraft made several passes and waggled its wings to salute the crowd near the airfield,” the Chinese Global Times Newspaper quoted a witness. The prototype took off at 4:25 pm and landed at about 5:50 pm. China’s Defence Ministry did not comment on the issue. According to Reuters the successful second test flight for ...
This video released by Airbus Military shows air-to-air refuelling trials for its A400M airlifter in February 2011. The tests consists of series of dry contacts performed by a UK Royal Air Force VC10 tanker. The Airbus A400M is a multi-national four-engine turboprop tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities developed by Airbus Military. First delivery is currently expected between 2012 and 2014. Eight nations have ordered a total of 174 aircraft.
This awesome video that I found on Youtube features an F/A-18 during flight display. The cockpit video shows very nicely to what intense G-forces the pilots are exposed to during such challenging maneuvers. The F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets. It was introduction in 1983 and about 1,400 units have been built so far. The jet fighter can reach a maximum ...
US Navy released this video of a F/A-18C Hornet experiencing an engine fire following a touch-and-go landing aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on April 11 2011. The pilot was able to execute a single-engine approach and successfully land on the aircraft carrier. After landing, the plane that is assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113, became engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly extinguished by flight deck emergency team that responded immediately. No ...
